March

Does Gross National Happiness Thrive in the Face of GDP?

Check out our website at www.expeditionbhutan.com! As I mentioned in my last post, during the reign of the 4th King laws and policy were developed that were consistent with this concept of Gross National Happiness (GNH). King Jigme Singye Wangchuck believed that legitimate public deliberation, discussion and opinion should be used to define any goal and should filter through a democracy based on a GNH Index. This would then support enlightened citizenship. Today the new King Khesar is on board with his father, and GNH in Bhutan lives on. This 5th King of Bhutan, His Majesty Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck proclaimed at his 2008 coronation that continuing to fulfill the vision of the Gross National Happiness Index will be one of [...]

The Fourth Dragon King Abdicates His Throne and its Power

During an(other) era of—rule-at-all-cost-even-if-your-people-are-really-pissed-off-at-you—the fourth Dragon King of Bhutan not only abdicated his throne to his eldest son in 2006, but he declared that his country would hold its first democratic elections. During the last of 30 years of ruling his nation under the premise of Gross National Happiness and traditional Buddhist beliefs, Jigme Singye Wangchuck at age 50, gave up his throne while sending every household a new draft constitution. In 2008 he gave up power to offer his people more. Including signifying impeachment options to the people, the Constitution of Bhutan “is based on Buddhist philosophy, international Conventions on Human Rights, comparative analysis of 20 other modern constitutions, public opinion, and existing laws, authorities, and precedents.” Their government [...]

The Coronation of ‘Gross National Happiness’

In 1972 the new King of Bhutan, Jigme Singye Wangchuck stated to the world that a nations success should not lie in its Gross National Product (GNP) but rather, ‘Gross National Happiness’ (GNH). At 17 years old and well before the west started examining the concept of ‘positive psychology’, this was a bold yet comfortable declaration for the youngest ruler in the world at the time. He recognized that the rich are not always happy and often those who are poor and happy tend to declare themselves quite rich. The King’s statement signaled his commitment to building a modern yet unique culture based on Buddhist values—the ideal of Gross National Happiness reigned. GNH was developed and expanded by Bhutan to [...]

Does Gross National Happiness Thrive in the Face of GDP?

The Fourth Dragon King Abdicates His Throne and its Power

The Coronation of ‘Gross National Happiness’

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